Carter steps down early as NZ Pork chairman
NEW Zealand Pork chairman
Ian Carter has stepped down before the end of his tenure, saying the direction some in the industry wanted to take was not one he felt comfortable steering.
The North Otago farmer, who has been in the role since 2011 and been involved in the pork industry for nearly 30 years, summed up the tenure as interesting, enjoyable and challenging — ‘‘all wrapped up in one’’.
His term was due to end next year.
Initially the job had been very satisfying. But the world was changing so dramatically, and the need to understand some of the commercial drivers and the speed of change was becoming very challenging in an industrygood body, he said.
He acknowledged resigning out of term had created ‘‘a bit more tension’’, and he was disappointed the job was not completed.
‘‘The problem is, I don’t know what completed looks like any more. I’ve battled for some time; it wasn’t an overnight decision. It was more of a case that the light at the end of the tunnel I always aspired to get to wasn’t getting any brighter,’’ he said.
Historically, the primary industries tended to be reactive, rather than taking the proactive stance he advocated.
Being reactive tended to be a confrontational approach, and going into an ‘‘aggressive, defensive mode’’ was not his style, Mr Carter said.
Unfortunately, with the primary industries under commercial pressure, the sector was tending to revert to that psyche.
Mr Carter always wanted to be accessible, including to the media, and to have an understanding of the audience and the consumer. It was not a case of necessarily automatically agreeing with them, but working with them.
Too much of the farming sector still believed it was their right to farm and they could keep doing what they were doing, and they expected the consumers to still be there, he said.
Mr Carter acknowledged he had polarised some farmers, and that changes made were too fast for some people, who did not aspire to change. That had caused some ‘‘angst and internal battles’’, which was frustrating.
When he was first elected to the chairman’s role, he spoke of a desire to see the pork industry being better promoted to all New Zealanders.
That included school pupils, who were an important target group as they were the industry’s future investors, workers and consumers.
Yesterday, Mr Carter said his biggest regret was that it did not get to the stage where they had the resources and support for that education aspect.
The primary industries should be putting a lot more energy into the next generation, as they were ‘‘our next consumers, employees, regulators and retailers,’’ he said.
Always keen to reflect on the positives, rather than the negatives, Mr Carter said the launch of PigCare was probably the highlight of his tenure.
PigCare accredited pork carried the assurance it was from pigs raised under New Zealand farmers, under world class welfare standards, free from added growth hormones and unnecessary antibiotics, and compliant with New Zealand’s food safety standards.
The credibility it gained for the industry, through regulators, retailers, media and farmers was a win for everybody.
There was also the Born and Raised in New Zealand trustmark and it was interesting to see other industries developing such trustmarks now too.
Seeing the likes of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak in the cattle industry reinforced his frustration that pig farmers did not recognise what they had and what had been developed for them in their industry.
‘‘It’s not until you see an event like M. bovis that you see how connected our industry is,’’ he said.
If there was a biosecurity incursion, the pork industry could ‘‘flick a switch’’ that most other industries could not.
About 58%59% of pork consumption in New Zealand was imported meat. Imported pork was the fastest growing protein consumed in New Zealand in the past eight years.
It was amazing how much the role had ‘‘engulfed’’ his life, but that was him, and he was the sort of person who did not let it absorb all his energy. He needed ‘‘something over and above it’’.
When he was home on the farm, he tended to do the mundane jobs, such as hosing the pens or driving the tractor, because he was interrupted continuously.
Mr Carter, who remained passionate about the pork industry, was hoping to be able to help out more in his local community again.
He recently bought a new gokart, which he was racing, and he was also navigating in the World Jet Sprint series in Australia this year.
❛ The problem is, I don’t know what completed looks
like any more.